I just did 6 shows in 6 days!

The Best Week of My Life

Just did 6 shows in 6 days!

And I booked 66 performers too!

And I performed at 4 amazing LA Theaters: The Lyric Hyperion, The Glendale Room, UCB, and The Pack Theater!

I did 3 improv shows, 1 bit show, 1 game show, and 1 sketch show!

This was probably the biggest week I’ve ever had as a performer.

Of all the hats I wear, that’s the one I wear the easiest.

The shows were good – I mean like they were fire good!!! – but hanging out with so many of my amazing peers from across different LA communities was probably the thing I’ll remember the most.

Plus, I got to hangout with Kristen Gull all week, which was a gift.

My life has been filled with extreme highs and lows as of late, but it felt good to have an amazing week like this past one, s week that was unlike anything I’ve ever done. Thank you to everyone who made this possible.

#improv #duoitagain
#theduplex #menudo #bithole #cuñadoscuñadasycarnales
#moonshotcomedy #lyrichyperion #theglendaleroom #ucb #packtheater

Shows 47-52

A Poem for Red Door

I love Red Door. Thank you for the masterclasses, y’all. From left to right: Ryan Marisco, me (Fernando A. Funes) and Justin Michael Terry

Here’s a Poem I Wrote In Honor of Red Door for My Poem A Day Project

Poem 44

The secret of the masters
Is that they play with great joy

If you want to be
A brooding, self loathing artisan
Whose sense of self importance
Is crucial to your work
Cool!

That’s not for me
I want to see people
Having fun

I want to see players
Moving from moment to moment
Making discoveries
Yes anding gifts
Building on top of every choice
In a way that doesn’t feel
Forced, labored, or resentful

I want to see players
Jabbing each other
Setting each other up
Trying to make the other break
Always knowing
That a foundation of
Let’s go out there and have fun
Supports everything

I want to see whimsey
Cut with vulgarity
For the sake of contrast
And to see that they can be
Balanced and complimentary
Like peanut butter
On a ham sandwich

Red Door
Weaves every choice, moment
And mistake into a great
Narrative tapestry
That feels like a built in world

They’re shows feel like a
Paperback novel you find
At a used bookstore
That you know
Has been passed around
A few times from friend to friend
That once you start reading it
You can’t stop yourself
From finishing
Until you realize it’s over
And then you’re like
What do I do next?

It’s a literal journey
A unscripted experience
That reveals the great heights
Our art form is capable
And worthy of reaching

I love these guys
Because they show me
How far I need to go
But how fun it’s going to be
To get there

44.2023

#improv #reddoor #theglendaleroom

Pic is from Red Door’s most recent show at The Glendale Room on Thursday, February 9th, 2023. Go watch their shows and take their workshops!

And special thanks to The Glendale Room for making these special moments oments possible!

The Pool Party Was a Success!

Nuisance, Gorgeous, and Swipe Right

Pace and Rhythm Curate the Audience Experience

Well, we had a really fun Pool Party!

Every team was fun and surprising in their own way, and the time just breezed by.

Pace and rhythm are things you forget about the audience experience, but when those are good, you’re having a good show. Something to keep in mind!

Thank you to Nuisance, Gorgeous, Swipe Right, and all the amazing people on our last minute mashup jam team.

Longform Improv every Thursday night at the Glendale Room – check it out!

#improv #poolparty #pace #rhythm #show #showrunner #nuisance #gorgeous #swiperight

I Studied with Rebecca Sohn at Camp Improv Utopia West, and I Loved It!

Got to study with Rebecca Sohn for the first time at Camp Improv Utopia West!

It was a real treat for me as I’ve been studying with Rich Sohn for the past year and a half on Zoom through the Pack Theater, and to be honest, I’ve been a fan of his since he and Rebecca first arrived in LA.

Rebecca’s workshop was amazing! She taught us to deescalate the pressure we as improvisers put on ourselves to have amazing scene starts, and to just go out there connect with our scene partner and have fun.

Here are some nuggets of Rebecca’s Wisdom:

The scene that is happening is the most important moment.

Just because someone steps out to support doesn’t mean they have an idea.

We have to be tricked into not getting into our heads.

The person who took the risk just wants someone to show up for them.

Free yourselves of what constitutes a good initiation.

A good initiation: someone starts talking

Remember: we’re the only ones who care about the form and suggestion (the audience doesn’t).

No pressure is permission to make any choice.

As improvisers, we are most powerful when we stick to the first choice.

Beginning a scene is like rowing a boat: you’re moving forward but always looking back to what’s happened before.

One more takeaway:

I loved that we had a workshop on this micro-skill. It’s little things like this that actually make a big difference in becoming a balanced improviser.

Also, I was humbled by Rebecca’s confession that this is something’s she’s still dealing with; therefore, this is something we’ll all deal with for the rest of our improv journeys. It’s good to know there’s always more to learn. Now go study with Rebecca, y’all! And go to Camp Improv Utopia!

#improv #rebeccasohn #ciu #campimprovutopia #performer #editor #improvteacher #coach